A Win, but Not a Crisis-Buster

Amid the Cracks and Controversy, the Jets Beat the Lowly Rams on Sunday; Next Up, New England

ENLARGE

Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan can smile about their win over the Rams on Sunday, but not for too long—they have a short turnaround before facing the Patriots on Thanksgiving.
Associated Press

By

Mike Sielski

Updated Nov. 18, 2012 11:42 p.m. ET

ST. LOUIS—In the five days leading up to their 27-13 victory over the Rams on Sunday, the Jets were the subject of a sort of discussion that seems endemic to their franchise, a questioning of their collective character that they usually bring upon themselves. In the wake of a published report loaded with anonymous criticism of Tim Tebow, on the heels of three consecutive losses, the Jets were back to being the NFL's easiest punch line. They were the team that loved to talk but couldn't play, and within the locker room, there were cracks and fissures and fissures within the cracks.

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The exercise has come to be an annual rite of passage for them under coach Rex Ryan, who has fostered an environment that encourages players to say what they want when they want (and apparently without attribution if they want). It served as the capstone to the three-game free-fall last year that left them out of the playoffs. But this time, the Jets (4-6) took care to gather themselves, put together a respectable, efficient performance and record a win that moved them into a three-way tie (with Buffalo and Miami) for second place in the AFC East.

ENLARGE

New York Jets inside linebacker Bart Scott (57) is pulled down by St. Louis Rams tight end Matthew Mulligan after recovering a fumble by quarterback Sam Bradford (8) and running it back 38-yards during the second quarter.
Associated Press

None of this, of course, is to say that the Jets are a particularly good football team, or that they weren't concerned that the season was indeed slipping into oblivion—only that they were able to stave off a full-blown crisis for at least one week. On Tuesday, owner Woody Johnson held a meeting with general manager Mike Tannenbaum and several members of the coaching staff to discuss and try to correct the team's on- and off-field problems.

"We all want the same thing: find ways to get better," Ryan said, and for the most part, the Jets appeared a sounder, less frenetic football team Sunday. In his pregame address to the team, Ryan addressed that very subject, according to quarterback Mark Sanchez, reminding players not "to make anything else up out here. Don't try some new release, some new footwork at the quarterback position, some new coverage technique. You know what you're supposed to do. Now go execute."

They did. The Jets forced three turnovers by the Rams (3-6-1) and didn't commit any themselves. And after some early attempts to shoehorn Tebow into the game were unsuccessful, offensive coordinator Tony Sparano kept Tebow on the sideline for a long portion of the game, allowing Sanchez and the offense to develop and maintain its rhythm.

"We were great just managing it in tough situations," said Sanchez, who completed 15 of his 20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. "We just handled the ball and played a good, clean game—really, a good, clean smart game on all phases, just about."

It didn't begin that way. Under the orchestration of Brian Schottenheimer—who spent six oft-beleaguered years as the Jets' offensive coordinator before Sparano replaced him—the Rams drove 86 yards for a touchdown on their first possession, taking a 7-0 lead. They then blocked a Nick Folk field-goal attempt and stuffed a shovel pass by Tebow on a fake punt, and it was easy to envision the Jets collapsing amid the errors. But the game turned when defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson forced a fumble by Rams quarterback Sam Bradford late in the second quarter and linebacker Bart Scott recovered the loose ball, returning it 38 yards to the St. Louis 28-yard line.

Two plays later, Sanchez hit wideout Chaz Schilens on a 25-yard scoring pass, and the Jets' defense held the Rams scoreless over St. Louis's subsequent five possessions.

"Once we settled down and got into our groove, guys were comfortable," said safety Eric Smith, who had an interception in the game. "We were prepared, and we just did what we were supposed to do."

Really, there had been no more demanding task this season for the Jets, so prone were they to making the worst of all mistakes at the worst of all moments. The challenge for them now is to sustain their cleaner, smarter play three days from now, when they host the 7-3 New England Patriots on Thanksgiving night.

"This kind of stuff becomes habit if you make it a habit," Sanchez said. "If you take the positives from this game and build on those and continue to improve, we can become a team that just doesn't turn the ball over. That could be our identity, if you want it to be, if you work at it.

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